Carlisle Man Arraigned On Charges of Dissemination of Matter Harmful to a Minor and Dissemination of Obscene Material

WOBURN– A Carlisle man has been arraigned on charges of dissemination of matter harmful to a minor and dissemination of obscene material, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today.

David Rodriguez, 28, of Carlisle, has been arraigned in Woburn District Court on a charge of dissemination of matter harmful to a minor. Woburn District Court Judge Marianne Hinkle ordered the defendant held on $5,000 cash bail with conditions that he have no contact with minors except his own children, and that he not access the internet.

The defendant was previously arraigned in Concord District Court on charges of dissemination of obscene material (6 counts), identity theft and criminal harassment. In that matter, Concord District Court Judge Peter Kilmartin ordered the defendant held on $500 cash bail with conditions that he have no contact with children under the age of 18 except his own children, stay away from public libraries, not access the internet, not possess devices which can access the internet, and that he be subject to random checks by the probation department to confirm that he is abiding by these conditions.

His next court date in Woburn District Court is March 1 for a pretrial conference. His next court date in Concord District Court is March 26 for a pretrial conference.

“These are very disturbing allegations, where a person, hiding behind the anonymity of the internet, has been able to access and exploit unwitting victims, including at least one child,” District Attorney Leone said. “These cases are a stark reminder of the potential dangers of predators who manipulate the relative freedom of the internet for their own ends. As adults we have to be mindful and vigilant about the people we interact with on-line and especially so when it comes to our children.”

According to authorities, this past fall, a California resident contacted the Concord Police Department to allege that a person had taken photographs from her Facebook page and posted them without permission on pornographic websites. Authorities began an investigation and identified the defendant, a resident of Carlisle. Through their investigation, authorities learned that the defendant’s on-line activities extended beyond that alleged by the initial complainant.

It is alleged that the defendant created fake Facebook accounts and initiated on-line contacts through these accounts, using the aliases “Danny Hyde,” “Chad Best” and “Tommy Holmes.” Once the defendant initiated these on-line contacts, he would then send the victims shocking and unsolicited sexual images, including some that showed a printed photograph of the recipient covered with what appeared to be a bodily fluid. In at least one case, the defendant is alleged to have continued to engage in this behavior despite repeated requests by the recipient that he stop doing so.

Recipients of these harassing and obscene communications have been identified in Massachusetts and in other states. At least one victim has been identified as a minor as young as 14-years-old. In some instances, the defendant is alleged to have also engaged in sexual conversations with underage persons.

The investigation remains ongoing. The case is being investigated by the Concord, Carlisle and Wilmington police departments in a joint effort with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Cyber Protection and Child Abuse Units, and State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

Members of the public who may have information that could be helpful to the investigation can contact the Massachusetts State Police at 781-897-6600 or the Child Abuse Unit at 781-897-8400.

These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The prosecutor assigned to handle these matters is Assistant District Attorney David Solet, Chief of the Cyber Protection Program.